Plaintiff in Led Zeppelin ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Case Files Appeal

Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" legal struggles might not be quite over yet.

The Courthouse News Service reports that Michael Skidmore, acting on behalf of Spirit founder Randy California's estate, has filed an appeal against the recent verdict in his lawsuit claiming Zeppelin plagiarized the Spirit song "Taurus" with a chord progression in the "Stairway to Heaven" intro. Though the band was found not guilty, the case could be headed back to court.

It's an aggravating — if expected — development for Zeppelin co-founders Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, whose legal team fought for years to keep the case from going to trial at all before ultimately emerging victorious. The band's publishing company is currently seeking more than half a million dollars in legal fees from the plaintiffs — a sum that's sure to escalate as the two sides continue to duke it out.

The Courthouse News Service report adds that neither Skidmore's attorney nor Zeppelin's reps have responded to request for comment, so it remains to be seen how the case will proceed — or who will hold the legal reins if and when it returns to court. As previously reported, Skidmore's original attorney, Francis Malofiy, was recently suspended from practicing law after disregarding “various rules of conduct” in the courtroom during yet another copyright infringement trial. Malofiy had co-counsel during the Zeppelin case, so there's a possibility Skidmore could keep the remainder of his legal team — or he could simply seek new counsel entirely.